• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I adore this true, gritty YA book about two teens with cancer and the journey that takes them from friendship at a support group to their Make-a-Wish trip to Amsterdam to the experience of falling in love for the first time. It portrays a perfect love in an imperfect world, and there's nothing else I'd rather read about.

• It by Stephen King. Yes, it's a horror story about an evil presence that stalks a small town, but at its heart, it's about a ragtag bunch of kids who band together to thwart that evil. It is a beautiful testament to friendship (not to mention a page-turner that will keep you up at night!).

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I read this as a teen and fell in love with the protagonist and the way she survives poverty and heartbreak and the tough family life of an immigrant in early-20th-century NYC. The writing is gorgeous, and the story is timeless.

Here's the blurb about Inferno of Love (book two in the Hometown Heroes Series):

Aubrey Anderson is a pediatric occupational therapist who's spent the last twelve years rebuilding her life after a car accident killed her boyfriend and crushed her legs. She has no memory of the accident or the weeks leading up to it, so when she starts having nightmares she can't explain, she returns to the scene to see if she can piece together her past.

Finn Cavallo is Lindsey Point's resident playboy, owner of a popular bar, and hero of the Cove Fire, when he pulled seven people from a burning building twelve years earlier. But his flirtatious personality hides the heart of a man who lost his soul mate the night of the fire. When Aubrey walks into his bar with no memory of who he is or what they had, he's stunned. It takes everything he has not to tell her about the summer they spent falling in love.

It's only a matter of time before bar conversation turns to passion on the beach. But when a series of events raises suspicion that Finn himself might have started the Cove Fire, Aubrey must do whatever she can to discover the truth about the past, including going back to where it all began.

I love desserts. My heroine in Guidebook to Murder owns a bookstore/coffee shop combo, so I get to imagine the decadent treats she sells. Or the treats she takes home for a late-night snack. Or dinner.

Here are three of my favorites:

• Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake. I found this recipe just before Thanksgiving and almost groaned at the dinner table when I took a bite. Now I like pumpkin pie. I LOVE this cheesecake. I'll be making this for all the big holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Columbus Day, Grandparents Day, Groundhog Day, Multiple Personalities Day … well, you get my drift.

• Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae. Fudge brownies with vanilla ice cream on top, with or without hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. I'm partial to the yin and yang of chocolate and really, really good vanilla. I'm kind of a purist when it comes to flavors.

• The Court Jester. As a teenager, I went to a magical place called The Ice Cream Palace with my sister after a long day of back-to-school shopping. They had a hot fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and peanuts all layered together. A perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Heaven.

Here's the blurb about Guidebook to Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery):

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store--Coffee, Books, and More--open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill--along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit--especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case--and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.

• Africa. Africa is the birthplace of human kind and the place to go for a zoologist-turned-author like me. The wildlife is amazing, and I recommend doing a tent safari. There is nothing more ominous than hearing a lion snort around your camp. I have been to Kenya, Tanzania and Egypt. I need to return and climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

• England/Europe, of course. I write paranormal wolfish historical novels and did my research where my stories take place, such as ancient Rome and France. I have traveled extensively throughout England/Europe, and I was inspired to make my steampunk characters frequent my favorite haunts.

• Eco-volunteer adventures. My favorite place to volunteer was at the Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary about six years ago. During my stay, I heard all 30 wolves howl in the middle of the night. Best music ever. I learned to observe these remarkable canines and became enamored with the idea of men and woman who could shapeshift into wolves. Hence, my first Wolf Maiden saga novel in 2008 and my other recent series, the After the Bane series.

Here is the blurb for Raven Moon (book two in the After the Bane series):

In a world ravished by zombies, animal shifters vow to save human survivors and combat zombie hordes. Ravenna, princess of the northern raven conclave, joins forces with witch Dora Adler and the Fenrir werewolf pack. On a mission for a vaccine against Z-phage, Rave and her team fly to a remote biological research facility. They battle a new breed of zombie, faster and stronger than the human variety, and with an appetite for shifters.

Benandanti Templar Maddox seeks revenge against the Kindred leader who killed his team. He rescues a trapped woman, Ravenna destroyer of the Benandanti bloodstone. His wolf longs to claim and protect the sexy raven shifter. His Benandanti faith commands she stand trial.

While facing zombies, merciless tankers, and zealous Benandanti werewolves, Rave and Maddox struggle against their forbidden passion. They must set aside their conflicts and strike at the new zombie threat before the new virus spreads.